"In Sickness and in Health": Sickness Absenteeism in Federal Highway Patrol Officers in the State of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil

Introduction: Police activity exposes the workers to several conditions that can cause physical and mental health problems, leading to sickness absenteeism.

Objectives: To describe the reasons for sickness absenteeism in Federal Highway Patrol Officers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: We used secondary data from official records of sickness absenteeism of Federal Highway Patrol Officers in Rio Grande do Sul. Sickness absenteeism was classified according to the International Classification of Diseases - 10th Revision. The variables analyzed were: reasons for sickness absenteeism, by code and category of the International Classification of Diseases - 10th Revision, and days absent from work by International Classification of Diseases - 10th Revision code. Descriptive data were reported using frequency distribution and measures of central tendency and dispersion. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare the days absent from work between the International Classification of Diseases - 10th Revision codes.

Results: The most common reason for sickness absenteeism was diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (24.6%). Mental and behavioral disorders were associated with the highest number of days absent from work (32.6 ± 19.9 days). Within the most prevalent disease groups, depressive disorders (30%), fractures (30%), and low back pain (15.9%) were the disease categories with the highest frequencies.

Conclusions: Sickness absenteeism among Federal Highway Patrol Officers is predominantly related to diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, and prolonged sick leave is due mainly to mental and behavioral disorders. Therefore, this police organization needs to promote and implement prevention programs to manage the main morbidities.